Wait times have been crazy lately! I know someone who applied in December and didn't get their first payment until mid-January because their employer contested the claim. The NYS Department of Labor has to investigate those situations which adds weeks to the process. Hopefully since your restaurant closed permanently that won't be an issue for you.

been there! restaurant industry is tough right now. make sure you're doing your job search activities because NYS Department of Labor requires 3 work search contacts per week even while your claim is processing. keep good records of where you apply because they can audit your job search log at any time

most construction companies are legit about this stuff, especially if they're doing commercial work. they have to be compliant or they can't get bonded for big jobs

You can also check online through the NYS Department of Labor website - they have an employer lookup tool where you can search by business name to see if they're registered for unemployment insurance. It's usually faster than calling and you get immediate confirmation. Just go to labor.ny.gov and look for the employer services section. If your employer shows up in their database, you're good to go for filing a claim if needed.

THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!! I've been waiting 8 weeks and they keep saying my claim is under review. Meanwhile I can't pay my bills and they won't tell me what the holdup is. This is ridiculous.

I just went through this process a few months ago when my company downsized. The 2-3 week timeframe mentioned by Yara is pretty accurate for most cases. Since you were part of a mass layoff, that actually works in your favor - the Department of Labor processes these faster because they can verify multiple claims from the same employer at once. One thing that helped me was checking my claim status regularly on the my.ny.gov portal and making sure I certified for benefits every week even before approval. Also, keep all your paperwork handy in case they need additional documentation. Hang in there - the waiting is the hardest part but it will come through!

Just want to say hang in there - I know the waiting is stressful. My first claim took about 12 days and then payments started coming weekly after that. Make sure you're doing your job search requirements too because they'll ask for that documentation later.

I'm in a similar situation - just filed my claim this week after being laid off. Reading through everyone's experiences here is really helpful but also nerve-wracking! Does anyone know if there's a way to check if your claim is progressing normally or if it's gone into adjudication? I keep logging into my.ny.gov but it just shows "claim filed" status. Also wondering if anyone has tips for the weekly certification process - want to make sure I don't mess anything up that could delay payments further.

No extra documents needed in my case! They had my wage info from my employer but there was a discrepancy in how it was entered. The agent just corrected it in their system. But she said if there had been a bigger issue, I might have needed to upload pay stubs or W2s. Worth having those ready just in case!

Wow, this thread is like a goldmine of information! I'm dealing with the exact same issue - been calling the main number for over a week with no luck. My claim has been pending for 16 days now and I'm starting to panic about bills. Going to try the 518-457-9000 number tomorrow at exactly 8:00 AM like Lauren did, and I'll have my W2s and pay stubs ready just in case. It's so frustrating that we have to jump through all these hoops just to get help with our own benefits, but I'm grateful everyone is sharing what actually works. Fingers crossed!